Superfood Essentials List (You May Not Have Known About #4!)

Photo credit: bigstock.com

3. Turmeric

Turmeric is widely used in Indian and East Asian cooking and also in folk medicine. If you’ve eaten Indian food before, you have probably already eaten it without knowing: turmeric is what gives curry its distinctive yellow color. The health benefits from turmeric are linked to the active ingredient known as curcumin, which has natural anti-inflammatory properties. Studies have also shown that curcumin improves cardiovascular health and overall brain function and helps defend against neurodegenerative conditions like Alzheimer’s disease.

There is even research showing that curcumin may be beneficial in fighting cancer. A study published in Cancer Prevention Research found a 40 percent reduction in lesions linked to the development of colorectal cancer in adult men who took four grams of curcumin daily for 30 days. It is worth noting that this research was with curcumin extract, rather than raw turmeric, and more research needs to be done. Regardless, thousands of years of folk medicine wasn’t spun out of whole cloth, and there are real health benefits to adding more turmeric to your diet.

4. Bone broth

Bone broth is something many people never think to eat, and they are really missing out! Bone broth is an essential ingredient in many soups and stews, and it packs a serious nutritional punch. Bone broth is filled with collagen, calcium, magnesium, glucosamine, and more. Consuming more bone broth boosts your immune system and helps keep your skin healthy and radiant (thanks to collagen), improves gut health, and helps ease joint pain with its anti-inflammatory compounds.

5. Green veggies

Green veggies: you knew this was coming! A staple of any “superfood” list, cruciferous (leafy green) veggies are packed with vitamins A, C, K, and more, and have significant antioxidant properties as well. But many people are unaware that the very chemical compound that makes greens live up to their name – chlorophyll — also has its own health properties. Chlorophyll has powerful detoxifying effects on the human body. It helps clean out impurities from the liver and binds with heavy metals and other toxins and flushes them out of your organs and tissues, resulting in more energy, clearer thinking and, according to some, help managing weight.

2017 is sure to bring even more additions to the “superfood” roster, and we’ll be here to cover it when they arrive. Stay tuned, eat healthy, and make good choices with your body and your health! Make 2017 your healthiest year yet!

References:

PrevPage: 2 of 2Next